I have had the Honour of receiving from you a most valuable desirable Present, in two Volumes of Political Disquisitions. The very polite and obliging manner, in which this Present was conveyed to me, demands my gratefull Acknowledgements: But the Present itself is invaluable.

I cannot but think those Disquisitions, the best Service, that a Citizen, could render to his Country, at this great and dangerous Crisis, when the British Empire Seems ripe for Destruction, and tottering on the Brink of a Precipice. If any Thing can possibly open the Eyes of the Nation and excite it to exert itself, it must be such a sight of its Danger, and of the imperceptible Steps, by which it ascended to its present hazardous Height to it.

I have contributed Somewhat to make the Disquisitions more known and attended to in several Parts of America, and they are held in as high Estimation by all my Friends as they are by me, and the more they are read the more eagerly and generally they are sought for.

We have pleased ourselves in America, with Hopes, that the Publication of those Disquisitions, the Exertions of the remaining other Friends of Virtue and Freedom in England, together with the Union of Sentiment and Conduct of America, which appears by the Proceedings of the Congress at Phyladelphia, would have had their full operation and Effect upon the Nation, during this Fall and Winter, while the People were canvassing for Elections, and that in Spight of Bribery, Some alteration in the House of Commons for the better might have been made. But the Sudden Dissolution of Parlia-206ment and the impatient Summons for a new Election, have blasted all these Hopes. We now see plainly, that every Trick and Artifice of sharpers, Gamblers and Horse Jockies is to be played off against the cause of Liberty in England and America: and that no Hopes are to be left for Either but in the sword.

We are in this Province sir, at the Brink of a civil War. Our Alva Gage,2 with his fifteen Mandamous Councillors, are Shutt up in Boston, afraid to Stir, afraid of their own shades, protected with a Dozen Regiments of Regular soldiers, and strong Fortifications, in the Town, but never moving out of it. We have No Council, No House, No Legislature, No Executive. Not a Court of Justice, has sat Since the Month of September. Not a Debt can be recoverd, nor a Trespass rebufed nor a Criminal of any Kind, brought to Punishment.

What the Ministry will do next, is uncertain—inforce the Act for altering our Govt. they cannot. All the Regiments upon the Establishment would not do it. For juries will not serve, nor Represent. Whatever Alva and his Troops may think of it, it has required great Caution and Delicacy in the Conduct of Affairs, to prevent their Destruction. For my own Part I have bent my chief Attention to prevent a Rupture, and to impress my Friends with the Importance of preventing it. Not that I think the Lives of 5 or 10 thousand Men, tho my own should be one of them, would not be very profitably Spent, in obtaining a Restoration of our Liberties. But because I knew, that those Lives would never go unrevenged, and it would be vain ever to hope for a Reconciliation with great Britain afterwards. Britains would not easily forgive the Destruction of their Brethren, I am absolutely certain that New England men never would that of theirs. Nor would any Part of America ever forget or forgive, the destruction of one New England man in this Cause. The Death of 4 or 5 Persons, the most obscure, and inconsiderable that could have been found upon the Continent, on the 5th March 1770 has never yet been forgiven by any Part of America. What then would be the Consequence of a Battle in which, many Thousands must fall of the best Blood, the best Families, Fortunes, Abilities and moral Characters in the Country?

America, never will Submit to the Claims of Parliament and Administration. New England alone has 200,000 fighting Men. And all in a Militia, established by Law, not exact soldiers, but all used to Arms.

I have this Moment recd a Line from Mrs. Warren1 and will in close her Letter to Mrs. Maccaulay,2 by the first Opportunity. Be pleased to make my Compliments to Mrs. Warren.

Yesterday I recd a Letter from Anapolis in Maryland from my Friend Mr. Chase, inclosing the Resolutions of their provincial Convention consisting of Eighty Members representing all their Counties.3 I wish I could inclose it to you, but it must be printed here.4 They unanimously approve, the Proceedings of the Continental Congress, and determine to carry them punctually into Execution—chose the same Delegates with two new ones for the next Congress. Vote to kill no Lambs—to raise Flax, Cotten and Hemp—and unanimously vote a Militia to be established, through the whole Province by the People themselves, who are to choose their own officers. And all Persons between 16 and 50 are to be imbodied. Unanimously vote to raise 10,000£ to be laid out by the County Committees in Arms and Ammunition, to be kept and disposed of by the Committees, as they shall think proper. Unanimously vote that Contributions for Boston be continued as long as wanted, and resolve unanimously “that if the late Acts of Parliament, relative to the Massachusetts Bay, shall be attempted to be carried into Execution by Force in that Colony, or if the assumed Power of Parliament to tax the Colonies Shall be attempted to be carried into Execution by Force, in that or any other Colony that in Such Case, this Province will Support Such Colony to the Utmost of their Power.

They Recommend Simular Resolutions to all the other colonies and vote Circular Letters to be sent them.

You will soon see the whole I hope—there is a charming Spirit in the whole, as well as in Chase's Letter. He says “he thinks we may never have a more favourable Crisis to determine the Point, I mean the Colonies will probably never be so cordially united, and their Spirits in a higher Tone than at present.”

He says that recent Advices leave us little Room to hope. We must therefore trust to the goodness of our Cause, our own Virtue and Fortitude. He says “he has no doubt that Sentiments equally generous and wise prevail in our Colony, who have hitherto exhibited an 209Example of Wisdom, Patience and Fortitude to the disgrace of the present, and the Admiration of the future Generation.”

We have no great News. The old rotten Rascalls are again chiefly chosen. I have Seen the List,—very few new Members.5

If you see Drapers Papers and Mills and Hicks's6—you will observe that The Arch Enemy,7 is at work again in his infernal Council at Boston.

I never think of the Junto there, immured as they are, without recollecting, the infernal Spirits in Milton after they had recovered from their first astonishment arising from their fall from the Battlements of Heaven to the Sulphurous Lake—not subdued tho confounded—plotting a fresh assault upon the Skies. “What tho the Field be lost? All is not lost; th' unconquerable Will and Study of Revenge, immortal Hate and Courage never to submit or yield &c. Of this be sure, to do ought good never will be our Task, but ever to do ill our Sole Delight.”8—&c. Is not this rather too frolick some and triumphant for the Times, which are dull enough—and as bad as they can be. I doubt whether War, Carnage and Havock would make us more unhappy than this cruel state of Suspense we suffer in the Contemplation of them in Prospect, in Haste